


Intertwined Path

by Linboh0214



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Adopted Children, F/M, Human Experimentation, Human Trafficking, M/M, Memory Loss, Past Rape/Non-con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:35:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25742929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linboh0214/pseuds/Linboh0214
Summary: A famous musician and songwriter named Ricardo Kurtis come to Japan in hopes of finding clues about his missing past. There he meets a person who may hold the key for the answers he has been looking for throughout his entire life.
Relationships: Izumi Mitsuki/Rokuya Nagi, Kujou Ten/Yaotome Gaku, Nanase Riku & Original Character(s)
Kudos: 15





	1. Dreams

**Birthday Party**

Ric and Anna had been preparing Alek’s birthday in secret for weeks. Just as they had finally finished decorating the room and preparing all his favorite meals, they received a message from Ernesto that Alek was on his way. They shut down the lights and hid in the darkness until they heard the knob turning and immediately turned the lights back on.

“Happy Birthday Alek!” Ric and Anna yelled together while popping the firecrackers

“I thought you guys completely forgot about my birthday” Alek looks at them dumbfoundingly

“How could we ever forget” Ric pats on Alek's shoulder

“Come on there are more surprises waiting for you in the living room” answered Anna excitedly. 

“Happy Birthday Alek!” Everyone who was hiding in the living room shouted

Alek looks at the decorated room and the table was buried with all his favorite foods with all his old friends welcoming him to the table.

“Oh my god I can’t believe you guys did this for me” Alek starts crying into his arms

“Of course we did, your family” Ric hangs his arms around Alek to comfort him

Everyone smiled as Alek started bursting into more tears. After Alek was done crying everyone celebrated his birthday by cutting the cake, giving him his presents, and talking with each other. Ric managed to slip away halfway through the drinking contest the adults were having. He went onto the balcony and looked up to the stars until he realized that Anna had opened the sliding door and joined him.

“What are you thinking about?” Anna asks Ric when she notices the sad expression he is making

“I was just thinking that I was the luckiest guy on earth for having such great friends and family.” Ric smiles back to her

“Your lying. Tell me the truth” Anna sighs

“I’m telling you the truth,” 

“Then why do you have such a sad smile on your face,” Anna asks with her voice filled with concern

Ric was flabbergasted but then again, he should have realized that he could never deceive any of his friends.

“I really do think that I’m the happiest man, but sometimes I feel like I’m missing something,” Ric answered looking towards the stars with longing for something he feels like he lost.

Anna did not know what words to use to comfort him after all she never knew and hopefully will not know what it feels like to be him. Before Anna could say something, Ric decides to go back to the party and stop the adults from drinking too much before they got crazy. Unfortunately, they were too late, and everyone had already passed out from drinking too much. 

“Oh great, this means we’re the ones who are responsible for cleaning this entire mess up” Anna slaps herself in the face when she sees the mess in front of them

“There’s no way we’re going to be able to clean this up tonight, let’s do it in the morning and force them to help us” Ric proposed to Anna

Anna agrees with Ric. They decided to leave all of them be and drag Alek into one of the guest rooms since he is the birthday boy. After they were done Ric went into his own room and immediately jumped into his bed. He wanted to sleep after today’s celebration and was too tired to take a shower. After a few seconds later his eyes shut down. 

\-------------------------------------------------------

**The Dream: Ric Pov.**

Ric opened his eyes and raises himself up. He looks around to notice that he was in a field full of flowers. He walks around for a while when he hears voices coming from nearby. Ric decides to see where the voice is coming from and finds two small children playing with each other. Ric became speechless when he saw one of the children, he looked like a younger version of himself except with no scar on his face. Ric tries to touch him but the moment he tried his hand slipped through the boy. While Ric was contemplating as to what had just happened, he could hear the other child calling the younger version of himself.

"Come on R...." The other boy waved at the red-haired boy

"Wait .....Nii" The red-haired boy ran to the other boy

Ric decides to follow them and see where they were going. When he gets closer to them, he could clearly see what the other child looked like. The other child was a pink-haired boy with pale pink eyes. Something was familiar about the boy but he didn't know what. Suddenly he felt a pang in his heart when he thought about the pink-haired child

As the two children were chasing one another a shadow suddenly appears in front of them. The shadow approaches the pink-haired child and offers his hand to him. Ric doesn't know why but he has a bad feeling about the shadow. 

"Come with me and I will make you the greatest idol that Japan has ever seen, even more than Zero." the shadow proposed to the pink-haired child

Ric sees the red-haired boy grabbing onto the other boy's arm gesturing him not to leave him. Oh no, he knew where this was going he had to stop it before he leaves or else!

"I will follow you" the pink-haired child takes the shadow's hand

"Don't go!" Ric shouts at the boy

But the boy doesn't seem to hear him and he disappears right in front of him. No, no, no, no, this can't be happening!

"Wait don't go .....Nii" The red-haired boy collapses onto the ground and starts sobbing

Why did that boy go? Why did he leave that other boy alone? Why won't he come back? No, no, no, no

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Ric screams

"Ric open your eyes!"

Ric opens his eyes to see Anna shaking him and Alek looking at him concern

"Anna stop you're making me feel dizzy" Ric weakly replies

"Sorry" Anna immediately lets goes of Ric

"By the way what's with your faces? You guys are completely pale" Ric weakly laughs

"Of course, we are! You were having a nightmare and started screaming like a madman" Alek shouts at him

"It's nothing to worry about you guys"

"Ric, don't joke it off. We are seriously worried about you" Anna glares at him

Well, what did he expect of course they are going to be worried about him, after all, that's happened to him in the past. It wasn't exactly the first time he had these kinds of episodes. But he's been getting better and recently showed no signs of it.

"It's alright. It wasn't about that. It was about something different" Ric sighs

"Different?" Both of them looked at him with confused expressions on their face

"Yeah" Ric replies

An idea pops into Ric's head

"Hey, Anna can you give me my smartphone?" Ric asks 

"Here but why?" Anna picks up Ric's phone off the nightstand and hands it to him

"I need to call Ray" Ric starts dialing Ray's phone number.


	2. Idolish6

**Introduction to their new training coach: Idolish6 Pov.**

This morning their new manager called them to the training room for a very important announcement by the President. As they were heading there everyone was chatting about as to why the President would want a meeting this early in the morning.

"I hope they're not going to disband us" Sogo clenched on his nails

"Calm down, Sou-chan" Tamaki yawns

"Can you blame him for worrying? We had a pretty disastrous first live" Yamato commented

"Anyway, let's go inside and find out" Iori opens the door

President Takahashi is standing in the middle of the training room humming. When he notices the idols coming in he turns around and greets them.

"Good Morning Everyone, I trust you had a good sleep last night" 

"Good Morning President and yes" Sougo replies

"Yes I had the most wonderful dream" Mitsuki hits Nagi before he can start explaining about his awe so wonderful dream

"So, what did you call us for President," Mitsuki asks the President curiously

"Well, you know you guys had a pretty disastrous first live right? So I decided to"

Everyone starts gulping bracing themselves for what would happen next. Oh no, they were right he's going to disband...

"Hire a training coach for you guys" President Takanashi finishes explaining

Everyone beside Iori sighs a breath of relief.

"Wait you're not going to disband us?" Tamaki bluntly asks

"Ahahah, No Tamaki I will not disband Idolish7. You guys have a lot of potentials, you guys just had a rough starting that's all" President Takanashi laughs

"Anyway, who is our coach going to be President Takanashi?" Yamato asks curiously

"Is it anyone we know or someone famous?" Iori asks

"Yes, however for privacy and security reasons he has asked us not to disclose his identity. He will also be wearing a disguise for the entirety of the training as well as a precaution. He will also be periodically gone from time to time due to his busy schedule"

"Oh that must be him right now" President Takanashi looks towards the door when he hears a knocking

Banri-san enters through the door first with a man following behind him. Everyone's jaws dropped open when they saw the man. He had short brown hair and cerulean eyes. He wore a simple navy cardigan with a white t-shirt and black pants. One of his ears had a ruby earring. He wasn't too bulky but not too slim either. Who was this man?

"Hello, my name is Ricardo but you can call me Ric for short. It is a pleasure meeting you Idolish6" The man introduced himself and offers a handshake

Iori snaps out of the trance and shakes Ricardo's hands "It's a pleasure meeting you Ricardo-san. My name is Izumi Iori"

"Aren't you pretty young to be coaching us?" Tamaki bluntly remarks just before Sougo shuts his mouth

The President and Banri both glare at Tamaki. He feels the death threat aura radiating from them and decides to shut up before he makes them any angrier.

"I'm soooooo sorry Ricardo-san. I will take immediate responsibility of Tamaki and commit Seppuku" President Takanashi bows ferociously down

"Please don't President Takahashi. I've seen enough blood in my lifetime and I would like to avoid seeing any more" Ricardo panics

All of them are stunned at what they saw just now especially Tamaki. They have never seen the President bow down like that towards anyone before even if they were high ranking elites. Who on earth was this man?

"Anyway, I think introductions are in order. Everyone why don't you introduce yourselves to Ricardo-san" Banri claps his hand together

"I will start first. As I said before my name is Izumi Iori and I am the center of Idolish6. I like cool things" Iori bows

"I guess I'm next. My name is Nikaido Yamato and I am the leader. I like drinking Beer" Yamato shakes Ricardo's hands

"My name is Izumi Mitsuki and my favorite idol is Zero" Mitsuki brightly smiles

"Izumi? Are you both related to one another" Ricardo looks towards both Mitsuki and Iori

"Yes, Iori is my little brother" Mitsuki replies

"That explains a lot" Ricardo whispers to himself

"Me next. I am Yotsuba Tamaki and I like to eat Ousama Pudding." Tamaki scoffs

Sougo steps on Tamaki's foot gesturing him not to be rude. This person was here to train all of them and was very famous to boot. There was no telling how fearsome this man is. Hopefully, he isn't angry with Tamaki right now.

"It's nice to meet you Tamaki" Ricardo gently smiles

"My name is Osaka Sougo and I am so sorry about Tamaki just now" Sougo bows down to Ricardo sweating

"It's alright Sougo I am not offended at all. In fact, I commend his honesty." Ricardo waves his hands in panic

"Alright, it's my turn! My name is Nagi von North" Before Nagi could finish he is cut off by Mitsuki

"His name is Rokuya Nagi" Mitsuki deadpans

"Oh, Mitsuki why did you stop me" Nagi whimpers

"Wait, Nagi von... Aren't you that" Ric stops when he sees Nagi waving his hand in the air gesturing him to stop. Well everyone has their reasons he supposes.

"My name is Takanashi Tsumugi. I'm the manager of Idolish6. It's nice meeting you Ricardo-san" Tsumugi shakes Ric's hands

"Takanashi?" Ric turns his head to the President

"She's my daughter" President Takanashi replies

"I see, well it is nice to meet you too, Manager Takanashi. Please call me Ric since I am sure that we are going to spend a lot of time together from now on" Ric smiles

"Umm Ricardo-san" President Takanashi looks worryingly 

"It's alright President Takahashi I have no intention of making passes to your daughter. As lovely as she is I already have my heart set on someone else since a long time ago" Ric smiles to the President

"But I hope that all of you will keep this a secret" 

"Of course and I'm sorry for being rude" President Takanashi sighs a breath of relief 

"Anyway since introductions are over let's get started!"

\--------------------------------------------------------------

**After the training practice: Idolish 6 Pov.**

"Woo. I'm so tired" Yamato collapses on to the sofa

"Me too" Tamaki sits down right next to Yamato

"But you have to admit that he's a pretty good teacher" Mitsuki points out

They just came back from Ric's training session with them. Ric wanted to see what they were capable of and asked them to perform in front of him. After they were done he pointed out the numerous problems and weaknesses they had as dancers, singers, and most importantly as a group. But before they could tackle those problems the group needs to focus on building a foundation for them to stand on. First, they would need to focus on honing their basic skills, and then he will make a plan from thereon. For today they took basic dance lessons and singing lessons as a whole.

"Oh yeah speaking of which he asked us to meet at the park where we did our first live tomorrow" Sougo opens the fridge

"I wonder why?" Iori carries his chin

"It might have something to do with the foundation he was talking about" Nagi points his finger above the air

_Flashback_

_"You guys lack foundation as individuals and as a group which is why you guys are so unstable." Ric crosses his arms_

_"You mean we don't have any individuality?" Sougo starts biting his nails. It was something that bothered him very much_

_"No, you do but you lack foundation." Ric sighs as he carries his head_

_"What do you mean we have individuality but no foundation? Aren't they the same thing?" Iori asks_

_"I don't think you guys will be satisfied with any answer I give you so I will show it to you. Come meet me at the park tomorrow morning and you will see what I mean"_

_Flashback Ends_

Iori ponders about what Ric said to him. What did he mean as a lack of foundation? What did he mean they were unstable? Sure they were still rough around the edges since they were still new to this whole idol thing but it could easily be resolved with time. 

"I'm a little bit worried though. Even though he is a coach the president personally scouted for he seems pretty young. I don't mean that the president is wrong or anything" Sougo panics

"To be honest, it sort of feels weird being taught by someone younger than me" Yamato jumps into the conversation

"Yeah me too" Mitsuki raises his hand

"Oh, what are you saying Mitsuki, Yamato-shi, Sougo" Nagi butts in 

"Nagi-san, I understand their concerns very well. How can we trust a person we barely know? We don't even know what his real name is or what he actually looks like. Plus he may be famous but he seems to be inexperienced and naive from my own personal opinion" Iori nods in agreement

"But remember what Banri-shi said. He said that Mr. Ricardo has been in the music industry for nearly 5 years which is an incredible feat. He also helped many musicians, dancer, singers, songwriters, and entertainers realize their full potential. Many people would die to have him coach them" Nagi points out

"Even so I still don't trust that person" Iori retorts

"Well, I like him" Tamaki picks out an ousama pudding from the fridge

"Wait?! What?!" Everyone turns around to Tamaki with their eyes wide open

"He's kind and doesn't scold me. He also said I had a pretty good form" Tamaki scoops up the pudding and chomps on it

"Well Tama has always been the gullible type so it's no wonder he got attached to him" Yamato sighs a breath of relief

"Hey!" Tamaki tries to retort

"Well Tamaki-kun does tend to be attached to people who are kind to him" Sougo carries his chin

"He'll follow anyone if they offer him ousama pudding" Mitsuki deadpans

"Listen to me will you!" Tamaki puts the pudding on the table and shouts at them

Startled by Tamaki's reaction everyone becomes silent for a moment

"Ric-kun didn't treat me any differently when I said I was from the orphanage. Usually, whenever I tell some adults that look at me with pity or scorn. He looked at me just like a normal person and told me I didn't have anything to be ashamed of and should be proud of where I came from since it helped me become who I am today." Tamaki runs out of breath after he finishes explaining. Then he storms out of the room leaving an awkward atmosphere behind.

"That was a bit shocking" Yamato looks a bit dumbfounded

"I never expected for him to react that way" Sougo also looks shocked

"Me neither" Iori nods in agreement

"Tamaki has a lot more hurt in his heart than we probably know about" Nagi comments "We hurt him by talking bad about one of the few people who saw him as a person"

Everyone looks down on the floor ashamed of what they said just now. They didn't mean to hurt Tamaki. They were just talking about the concerns they held about their new coach. If they had known it would hurt Tamaki so much then they never would have teased him about it. 

Mitsuki looks at the clock and starts heading into the kitchen

"It won't help any of us if we keep on moping around. Tamaki will come out once he's hungry and we can apologize then" Mitsuki puts on his apron "Can you help me Iori?"

"Sure Niisan" Iori replies

"Then I will bring some of my favorite Kokona videos to help cheer him up" Nagi runs to his room

"Then Oniisan will go buy some Ousama Pudding at the convenience store" Yamato stands up from the sofa

"I'll come with you" Sougo follows Yamato out of the door

\---------------------------------------------------------------

**Hotel: Ric's Pov.**

"Huh, that was a nice bath. If I had known that Japanese baths were this good I would have come here sooner" Ric dries his hair in his room

He sits down on the bed and sighs. He had watched the videos of their first live but Idolish6 was way worse than he had initially thought. He'd only known them for a couple of hours and could already tell that they were full of problems. It was such a shame really. They have a lot of potential and room to grow but if things keep going on like this they would easily be crushed by the entertainment world. They probably wouldn't even last a week.

Ric exactly knows how harsh the music and entertainment world could be. He's seen many talented people come in and go because of it. He himself was nearly crushed until he met his friends. If it weren't for them Ric would have never discovered his own foundation as a person or a musician. 

"Hello, this is Ricardo speaking" Ric notices that his phone is ringing on the nightstand and goes to pick it up.

"Hey, Ric how is Japan?" 

"Hi Ray" Ric groans

"Hey stop groaning" Ray nags at him

"Well, I can't help it. When I told you my plans you and practically everyone else were completely against the idea" Ric sighs while he pinches his nose

"As your therapist, I only have your health and well-being in mind. Although you have made significant progress in the last 12 years, you still haven't completely recovered from your PTSD. Going back to the source of your trauma could potentially worsen it at your current condition " 

"Ugh" Ric groans again

"Hey, in the end, I gave you my permission, right? On the condition that you make regular phone calls to me and your friends to update us on your current condition"

"And I thank you very much for that" Ric sarcastically remarks

"Anyway back to the subject. How is Japan?" Ray goes on with the conversation

"Fine. I was worried a bit since my Japanese is a little bit flimsy but I have no problems communicating with everyone. The hot baths are awesome, I'm planning to go to the hot springs later on when I get settled down."

"It's nice to see that you're enjoying your stay there" 

"It feels sort of nostalgic. I mean it doesn't feel like this the first time I've been here..." Ric pauses for a moment. Flashes of both the dream and his past pass by in his mind and he starts breathing heavily. Oh no, he was going to have a panic attack.

"It's alright Ric. You don't have to force yourself if you don't want to. These things take time and when you're ready you will know it" Ray senses the panic in Ric's breathing and comforts him

"Thanks, Ray" Ric takes a deep breath and recompose himself

"Let's talk about something else. I heard that you ended up picking up some strays again from your manager" 

"I did not pick them up. I happened to run into the President and he gave me a job offer and I happened to accept it" Ric scoffs

"Same thing. How are they?" Ray ignores the sarcastic remark

"They're not bad but they need a lot of work" Ric carries his head as he sighs

"Oh that bad huh"

"They have a lot of problems and unless they find a way to resolve it they're going to end up getting crushed" 

"Well, since it's you. You're not going to let that happen are you?" Ray grins

"You bet I won't" Ric grins

"How are they as individuals though?" Ray asks curiously

"Well, I've only been with them for a couple of hours so I can't make any judgment yet. All of them still have their guards up around me so it will take some time to actually get to know them. One of the younger ones got pretty attached to me during the training though" Ric stares at the ceiling

"Well that's pretty fast even for you" 

"Yeah, I was a bit surprised, to be honest. The kid doesn't seem to be the naive or gullible type either. It might be because he feels some sort of similarity with me"

"Similarity?" Ray asks 

"He's from the system" Ric explains

"Well that would explain why he's gotten attached to you pretty fast"

"Anyway it's almost midnight over here and I need to get some sleep I'll call you at the same time tomorrow"

"Ok Good Night Ric"

"Good Night Ray" Ric cuts the call

Before he falls asleep he makes sure to turn on the alarm clock for tomorrow. He brings out a bottle of pill case from his bag and drinks it with the glass of water he put on the nightstand beforehand. He then slumps back into the bed and falls deep into sleep.


	3. The Path to an entertainer

**7 o'clock at the Park: Idolish 6 Pov.**

Once they arrive at the station everyone gets off the train and leaves through the gates one by one. Yamato who is familiar with the area walks in the front and leads the group to the park. On the way there they start talking about what Ric said last night and what he had in mind for them today.

"I wonder why he asked us to come to the park this early in the morning?" Iori ponders

"I have absolutely no idea" Mitsuki shrugs his shoulders

"Well, it better be something good because Oniisan is not good with mornings" Yamato yawns

"Leaving the old man aside, it is kind of tough to wake up at 6:00 and then getting on a train during rush hour" Mitsuki stretches his arms

"Hey!" Yamato retorts

"I understand but it must be something really important if he asked us to come" Sougo tries to cheer up the atmosphere

"Yes! Sougo is right! Mr. Ricardo must have called us to teach us something very important. Right Tamaki" Nagi turns to Tamaki

"Hmmm" Tamaki crosses his arms and turns his head

The atmosphere instantly becomes awkward. After that little talk, everyone tried their best to cheer Tamaki up but nothing worked and he still hadn't forgiven them yet. Yamato even tried bribing him with the Ousama Pudding he bought for him at the convenience store but Tamaki just took it and shut himself in his room again. They tried again during breakfast but Tamaki ignored them the entire time.

Before they could resolve the awkward atmosphere, they arrived at the park, and Ric who noticed their presence approached them.

"Good Morning Everyone" Ric greets everyone

"Good Morning" Everyone greets him back

"What is with this gloomy atmosphere? Can someone also explain to me why Tamaki is covering his ears?" Ric points at Tamaki

"We had a fight last night and Tamaki refuses to speak with us" Mitsuki answers

"I see..." Ric worryingly looks at them

"Umm Ricardo-san" Sougo speaks up

"Call me Ric, Sougo" Ric raises his hand

"Umm ok, Ric-san. May I ask why you asked us to come here so early in the morning?' Sougo nervously asks

"I'm sorry Sougo but I'll have to explain later I'm more concerned about the fight you guys had just now" Ric crosses his arms

"Now explain to me why you guys were fighting this morning!?" Ric glares at everyone

Everyone starts explaining how they were complaining about him last night. They talked about how they started teasing Tamaki for getting attached to Ric and how it went too far which led to Tamaki snapping at them

"I see so that was what happened" Ric sighs

"First let's start with Mitsuki and Yamato. You took your teasing too far. I know how you feel and even I tease people from time to time but I know the limits. You guys are adults for god's sake. You should know how sensitive teenagers can be. So be more careful next time" Ric has them sit in seiza in front of him while he lectures them

"Yes!" Both of them squeal

"Next, Sougo. I get that a part of you worries about Tamaki due to his regular behavior. I noticed this when I saw you talking to me and the president but you have the tendency to make conclusions about people too fast and fit them into certain categories. You need to become more flexible. People are more complicated than you think it's impossible to categorize them into one section." Ric sighs

"I see" Sougo looks down depressed

"Next, Iori. You are very straight forward and blunt. It's a good trait of yours but be careful words can have powerful effects. Depending on what you say and the circumstances you are in you could easily hurt people like Tamaki very much." Ric pats Iori's shoulder

"I will try to be more careful next time" Iori replies

"Last but not least Tamaki. I get that people can frustrate you sometimes especially since they've never been in your shoes before. They don't understand why you act that way or why you talk that way. Trust me I've been there but people won't understand if you don't tell them. You trust them enough to tell them that you are from the orphanage so give them a chance" Ric smiles at Tamaki

"Ok if you say so Ric-kun" Tamaki smiles back

"Why is he so nice to Tama and Iori?" Yamato whimpers

"That's because unlike you adults they're still teenagers and they haven't learned how to control their actions yet" Ric scoffs

"Urghhh" Yamato whimpers again

"Why aren't you scolding Nagi then?" Mitsuki asks

"Nagi also has his problems but at the very least realized the sensitivity of the topic and tried to be delicate about it although it was a bit late." Ric snaps at them

"I'm sorry Mr. Ricardo" Nagi apologizes 

"I was planning on having you guys perform right now but..." Ric sighs while carrying his head 

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouts out

"But no one is here" Mitsuki flabbergasters

"So what?" Ric looks at them confused

"So what? My point is that how are we supposed to perform without an audience" Iori shouts at Ric

"Do you know what time it is?" Ric asks with a smile on his face

"It's 7:00 and what does that have to do with us performing!" Iori snaps and was about to say more before Ric raised his hand

"Yes, it's 7:00 that means its rush hour. I researched the park beforehand and apparently a lot of workers walkthrough here on their way to work. Your job is to get them to listen to your performance" Ric grins

"Wait, what?!" Everyone shouts again

"Ric-san I don't mean to be rude but I highly doubt that this is a good decision" Sougo raises his hands up in the air

"It's alright Sougo. Explain why do you think so?" Ric laughs

"Uhh yes. People who walk through here are probably extremely stressed from waking up early in the morning and train rush. I highly doubt they would want to hear an unknown idol group performing" Sougo points out

"Sougo-san is right. Us performing here could actually cause more stress. Unlike Trigger or Revale, we are still relatively unknown and lack the skills to actually satisfy our audience members much less, people who are highly stressed" Iori finishes Sougo's explanation

"Umm. Ric why are you making a face like that?" Yamato points at Ric's face when he notices a scary aura coming from his back

"I'm a little disappointed" Ric crosses his arms with a disappointed look on his face 

"Why?" Nagi asks

"I can't believe this is the same idol group that performed in the park that day" Ric sighs carrying his head

"Wait, you watched that?" Mitsuki asks

"Yes, I asked your manager to send me the video. I watched all of you" Ric looks at them 

"Why? I mean it was pretty bad" Tamaki tilts his head confused

"Sure you guys are still amateurs in terms of skills and performance. But even though you had only a few audience members you guys still performed to your heart's content. I saw something in you guys that no one else had and believed that you guys had the potential to rise on top that was why I agreed to be your coach" Ric explains

"Ricardo-san"

"Ric"

"Ric"

"Ric-kun"

"Ric-san"

"Mr. Ricardo"

"But, the you guys now are far far away from ever reaching the top than the day you performed at the park. You guys are gloomy and lack the energy to do anything right now. What's worse is that I've only known you guys for a day and you're already starting a fight. The only thing that is getting better is your skills and that's it. Where did the fire you showed that day go?

Everyone looked at each other. Ric was right. Where did all that fire go? Ever since that day, nothing has gone well no matter how hard they worked. They tried so hard not to let it get to them but it was harder than they thought. It began to slowly eat them away without realizing it. Is this what Ric meant that they lacked foundation?

"I heard from your manager that you have been having a lot of difficulties and have a lot of frustrations built up with not being able to debut. I know how that feels like more like everyone does. It's frustrating when things don't go the way you expected or want. But that doesn't give you the excuse to act the way you've been acting since yesterday." Ric glares at them

"We're very sorry" Everyone bows

"I don't want an apology." Ric sighs

"But..." Sougo speaks up

Ric walks away before Sougo can finish and goes to pick up a guitar case that was leaning next to the fountain. He then proceeds to open it up.

"Umm, Mr. Ricardo what are you doing?" Nagi asks curiously

"I'm going to sing in front of you guys" Ric replies

"What!?" Everyone looks at Ric

"But isn't it dangerous? I mean President said that you were pretty famous. What if people find out?" Mitsuki speaks up

"Listen as your coach and teacher it is my job and responsibility to remind you what is important and guide you to your respective paths. From what I see you guys need a little bit of stimulation to get back on the right track" Ric starts tuning his guitar

"But isn't it still risky?" Yamato cuts in

"There aren't that many people here yet so it should be alright. Plus even if someone recognizes me I'll deal with it then. I know what I signed up for the moment I decided to become a musician" Ric plays it off

"I can't believe you" Iori looks at the man with disbelief

"I know I'm crazy. I've been told that my entire life" Ric laughs "Than here I go. You guys are actually really lucky because this is the first time I'm actually performing this song"

_Peace Sign Acoustic Cover_

The moment Ric started playing the guitar any words they had for the man just disappeared. Their hearts fluttered as they listened to him singing. Of course, being a musician his skills with the guitar was amazing and his voice was so beautiful, no words could describe how beautiful his voice was. But that wasn't what caught their attention as they continue to listen to his music they could feel something from the song itself. Before they realized it they were enveloped by the warmth of the song and it made them feel as if though they could do anything right now. As they listened on they could something shining from both Ric and themselves.

Once the song ends Ric stops playing the guitar and looks up to the group. He looks at their faces and a smile forms on his face. 

"How was my performance?" Ric asks

"It was..." Iori tries to speak but unable to form words

"Amazing!" Nagi bursts out

"It was truly amazing. It felt like" Sougo was about to finish before being interrupted

"It felt like I was flying!" Tamaki raises both his hands in the air

"Yes and it was like I was able to connect with the song itself" Sougo finishes

"I don't know what to say" Yamato gets stuck

"You're so cool!" Mitsuki shouts

"Woah, Woah, one at a time" Ric tries to calm them down "But I'm glad that you enjoyed it" Ric then smiles

"Enjoyed it! It was freaking awesome!" Mitsuki cuts in

"I never knew a person could do so much with just a song" Yamato speaks up

"Just a song? No Yamato it's because of the song I was able to do this" Ric points out

"What do you mean?" Sougo asks

"Music has the ability to connect people regardless of which country, nationality, race, gender, age we are. As proof of that, no matter where you go each culture has some form of music in their culture." Ric explains

"Yes that's true" Iori points out

"Thank you, Iori. That's exactly why I was able to perform like that. The things you felt when you heard my song weren't just my feelings but yours as well. Just as how you felt my feelings I could also feel yours. In a way, we were talking with each other but through music" Ric gently smiles

"Wait, ours?" Mitsuki asks confused

"Didn't you each feel something different? For example, Tamaki said he felt like he was flying and Sougo said he felt like he was connected to the song itself." Ric points towards both of them

"Actually yes, I felt a burst of emotions and feelings I never knew I had" Yamato looks at Sougo

"Me too, my world sparkled when I heard your song" Nagi replies

"I felt a burst of energy and felt like I can break through anything" Mitsuki replies

"The warmth and freedom you felt were my feelings but the things you felt burning in your hearts are the feelings that were buried deep inside you I just merely provided a trigger for it to come out" Ric explains

"Woah" Mitsuki replies

"I'm sorry for what I said yesterday Tamaki-kun. I should have taken your feelings more into account when I spoke" Sougo walks up to Tamaki and bows to him

"Me too. I'm sorry for taking my teasing too far" Mitsuki apologizes

"Me three" Yamato joins in

"I should have realized the situation sooner and tried to stop them I'm sorry Tamaki" Nagi speaks up

"I'm sorry I promise I will be more careful with my words next time and actually put more thought into it before I do" Iori apologizes while blushing

"It's alright. Ric-kun told me I should talk with you guys more so I will next time" Tamaki smiles

"Now I will ask you guys again are you willing to perform right now?" Ric points at them and grins

"Yes!" Everyone replies at the same time

"We can do this everyone!" Mitsuki shouts out and they run towards the fountain getting ready

Ric smiles as he sees them get ready to perform and watches over them from the shadows. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Television Station Break Room: Trigger Pov.**

"Man that was tiring" Gaku sits down on the couch

"For once I actually agree with you" Tenn sighs

"Well we just did an athletics course so it's no wonder we're tired" Ryunosuke smiles

Tenn gets up from the sofa and grabs a water bottle on top of one of the desks and starts gulping it down.

"Hey Tenn get mine too," Gaku asks

"Go get yourself" Tenn glares

"Damn you, you fake angel" Gaku gets pissed off by Tenn's attitude

"Gaku, by the way, you were humming all-day did something good happen?" Ryunosuke tries to avert the topic so they wouldn't start a fight

"Well you can say that" Gaku smiles

"I bet its something stupid" Tenn scoffs

"It's not!" Gaku retorts

"So what happened?" Ryunosuke comes in between in them and tries to stop from Gaku attacking Tenn

"Actually on the way to the recording studio I happened to hear someone performing in the park. Man, I wish you guys were there, it was amazing. All the fatigue I had that morning just blew away and I felt completely re-energized by it. I wonder if he's new? I should have recorded it." Gaku smiles as he remembers the performance

"Oww!" Gaku screams out "What the hell did you do that for brat!" Gaku glares at Tenn

While Gaku was remembering the performance Tenn got pissed off looking at Gaku's smug face and decided to kick him when he least expected it.

"Looking at your stupid smile made me want to kick you" Tenn scoffs

"Why you brat!" Gaku clenches his fist while trying to hold his urges to kill Tenn down

"Get a hold of yourself, we have no time to be admiring others especially you, our leader. We have to get ready for the next Black and White Competition." Tenn points out

"Tenn's right" Anesagi come bursting in through the door

"Anesagi" Gaku shouts

"You guys have a lot of competition this year. Even though they lost last year NO_MAD is still relatively popular and there's also that new idol group from Takanashi Productions. Of course, Revale will be participating as well. If you guys let your guard down for even a second that you guys will easily be eaten by them" Anesagi nags them

"New idol group?" Ryunosuke asks

"Takanashi Productions?" Gaku tilts his head

"Yes, Takanashi Productions scouted some new talents for their new idol group. They had a disastrous first live and their skills are very amateurish so we weren't very wary of them at first until rumors of Takanashi hiring a coach spread around" Anesagi explains

"But that isn't that normal?" Gaku asks

"Baka. It's because there's something more isn't it Anesagi -san" Tenn turns to Anesagi

"Thank you, Tenn. That coach that Takanashi hired is rumored to be a famous international musician. Apparently he saw potential in that group and personally agreed to become their coach. Of course, we did a background check on the information. It seems to be true. Anway if such a famous person is helping them that means they will become a danger. So we need to keep a close eye on them" Anesagi finishes explaining

"What's the idol group's name I want to remember it" Gaku scoffs

"Idolish6" Anesagi replies

"Ok Idolish6 I'll remember them" Gaku gets fired up

"Anesagi-san. Do you know who the coach is? I might probably know him/her if I hear their name" Tenn asks

"You were with Kujo-san for a very long time so I'm not surprised. But unfortunately, we were unable to find any information about the coach. All we know is that Takanashi hired a coach and that's it. We tried using our sources but no one could find out who the coach is. The closest information we got about the coach was that he is a male around his early 20s. The man is a complete mystery as far as I am concerned" Anesagi sighs

"I see" Tenn ponders

"Anway we better get going you guys have a photoshoot after this" Anesagi nags

"Ok" Everyone replies

\-----------------------------------------------

**Takanashi Productions: President Takanashi and Banri Pov.**

President Takanashi organizes some documents he received this morning. After he's done he looks through some reports until he hears someone knocking.

"Who is it?" President Takanashi asks

"It's me, sir. I brought refreshments and some snacks" Banri calls out from the other side of the door

"Banri-kun come right in" President Takanashi replies

Banri opens the door with tea and sweets in his hands. He walks to the president's desk and slowly sets them down making sure the tea doesn't spill. While he does, he notices the reports laying on the desk and picks one of them up.

"Are these reports on Idollish6?" Banri asks

"Yes, Ricardo-san made them just after he got back from their training and sent them to me through fax this morning" President Takanashi replies

"Wow these are really detailed" Banri looks through the reports "You wouldn't believe he only knew them a day" 

"Yes, Ricardo-san is really observant from what I heard" President Takanashi smiles

"I was worried about what was going to happen but it seems my worries were un-needed" Banri smiles back

"Yes indeed"

"It's a miracle that you found him, President." Banri flips through the pages

"Yes, I was very lucky indeed. I never expected for him to be here in Japan but I'm thankful he was" President Takanashi reminiscences the day he met Ric

_Flashback_

_It was an ordinary day. He would go out searching on the streets for new talents. It was strange for a president to personally go scouting for talents but since they were a small talent agency and didn't have many workers he needed to take on jobs that would normally be left to his employees. He personally also enjoyed going out in the field instead of being stuck in the office all day._

_President Takanashi sees someone who seems promising. Although he had a hat, mask, and sunglasses on he could instantly tell that he was idol material._

_"Hello" The president approaches the stranger_

_"Hello. Umm..." The stranger awkwardly replies_

_"I swear I'm not anyone strange" The president tries to reassure the stranger once he feels the discomfort radiating off of him_

_"My name is Takanashi Otoharu and I am the President of the talent agency Takanashi Productions. I'm currently scouting for some talents for my agency. You see I believe you have the potential to become a great talent and I was wondering if you would be interested in having a talk with me. The President quickly pulls out his business card from his wallet and hands it to the stranger_

_"..." The stranger remained silent as he held the card and inspected it_

_Now many would find it offending when someone did this kind of thing but President Takanashi wasn't at the least offended. The stranger had every right to be suspicious of him especially since he just came out of nowhere and claimed that he was a company president. Even more so since there have been a lot of scams like that recently. On top of that, his company was relatively unknown to the public making it even more suspicious._

_"Hmmm, interesting." the stranger smiles_

_Interesting? That was the first time someone in his 30 years of experience he has ever heard someone say interesting before he laid out his offer so he didn't know how to react. There were times where people who were seemingly involved with the entertainment business knew the protocol and acted nonchalantly about it or even said straight out no. But this was the first time someone said interesting. He honestly hopes that this isn't some kind of bad omen_

_"Mr. Takanashi" the stranger calls out to him_

_"Yes?" The president replies_

_"Are there any videos you have that I can take a look at?" The stranger asks him_

_"Ah Yes!" The president quickly reaches for his smartphone in his pockets and slides through the screen "Here" He gives his smartphone to the stranger_

_"This is a video of our most newly formed idol group Idolish6 and their first concert" The President explains to the stranger_

_'A little bit rough around the edges but not bad it would be fun to polish them' The President roughly hears the stranger mutters as he looks and smiles at the video_

_The President looks at the stranger confused when he hears those words. What could the stranger possibly mean by those words?_

_"Mr. Takanashi" The Stranger hands him back his smartphone_

_"Yes!?" The president accepts his smartphone back_

_"I'm afraid I cannot accept your offer to join your agency as a talent. However I am willing to join if there are any other jobs that are available like a coach for example" The stranger smiles_

_"Actually we do have an opening for a coach but"_

_The stranger stops him before he can continue "Great, then I will have my manager call you and send you my resume later in the evening" The stranger winks at him taking off his sunglasses_

_President Takanashi eyes widen when he sees the face behind the sunglasses "You're!" The President stutters as he points his finger at the stranger_

_"Then I'll be looking forward to meeting you again in the future President Takanashi" The stranger quickly leaves before he could say anything leaving the poor man dumbfounded in the middle of the street_

_Flashback End_

"But who would have that such a famous international superstar would be roaming the streets of Japan in the middle of the day wasn't he supposed to be on his tour in Asia?" Banri asks the president

"I'm afraid I don't know Banri-kun. Ricardo-san never explained his reasons for being here in Japan except that it was to find something and that he could only find it here in Japan although I don't know what exactly he is searching for." The President holds his hand together

"Well, that isn't exactly strange. Ricardo-san is rumored to be quite an eccentric person. Nobody knows how his mind exactly works but they say it is precisely because of that he can create such amazing works and masterpieces." Banri strokes his chin

"Indeed, there are so many mysteries and rumors surrounding Ricardo-san considering his disposition and especially his appearance." The President nods

"Yeah, his appearance isn't exactly what most people would expect out of a typical musician or star. In fact, some people would find it disturbing, to say the least. It's no wonder there are so many rumors and theories behind his background. Not many people have the courage to stand out in public like that much less perform in front of a stage with his appearance. People even dub him as the 'underdog musician'." Banri sighs

"Yes but even so he rose up to fame despite it all. I have no idea how many hardships he must have faced climbing up in the industry like that. Although the world has progressed into a more forward way of thinking where those kinds of traits are becoming more widely accepted, people are still obsessed with the notion of perfection. Especially in the entertainment industry where appearances are highly regarded. It must have taken a great effort for him to rise to fame like that..." The President carries his head

"In a way, he is a perfect coach for those kids. He knows first hand the horrors and hardship of the entertainment world. If anyone can help them its him"

"Yes I agree" The President smiles


End file.
